Course Creation
Have you ever wondered how the parkour server is able to have so many maps? They're made by countless members of the community! Anyone can build a parkour map and submit it to the server, and a team of staff judges will test it to see whether it meets the requirements. If it does, it will be officially added to the server at the beginning of the next month! Here's a short guide on the submission process and some tips for making the best map you can. The submission process All parkour courses are built in the map maker world, in plots. If you don't already have a plot, you can create one by doing /plot auto. This will create and teleport you to an empty plot where you can start building right away! When you're satisfied with your map, you can submit it on the forums. All map submissions belong here, in the Map Submissions page of the Parkour sub-forum. There's a specific format you should use to make it easier for players to locate your map and for judges to know what type of map it is. Your submission post should have: * Your username and the username of anyone else who deserves credit * The course name * The warp to your plot (/plot visit Tasses, or /plot h:3 Tasses 'if it's your 3rd plot) or its number (do '/plot info to see the plot's ID) * Course difficulty (Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert, Insane) * Screenshots of your parkour (you don't need too many, but you should be able to see the main build) * (Optional) Number of jumps and number of checkpoints Now you can sit back and wait! Your submission is public and open to player replies, so don't be afraid to receive feedback. Don't forget that just because you've submitted your map doesn't mean you can't go back and add some details. If you get some really good feedback and you want to change a couple jumps or improve the build, you can always do that. Course requirements Although you have almost limitless freedom when it comes to theme, build, and parkour, there are some requirements that should be met. There's lots of wiggle-room, of course, but these are things that you should definitely try to aim for. * Your map must have a build. Although there are courses like "Random", "Idk", and "RedVsBlue" that are just floating blocks, that will not be accepted anymore. There must be a distinct theme with a build that matches the theme. Having one main build, and not multiple floating builds, is also best. * Pixel art cannot be the main build of the map. If you're decorating the outsides with a little bit of pixel art, that's fine, but if your entire build is one big pixel art, it will not be accepted. We want 3D builds. * Don't forget to include the name of the map on a sign at the beginning of the map, and preferably the difficulty and your username as well. You want that credit, don't you? * Don't forget to add checkpoints on your map. That's your responsibility, not the judge's. You won't be able to make an actual working checkpoint sign, but as long as there's a regular sign where you want the checkpoint to be that says "Checkpoint", if your map is accepted they'll be created when they're added to the server. * Please test the parkour to make sure there are no big shortcuts or skips. Asking other players to test the parkour for you is recommended because they'll have a fresh look at it and may have suggestions for difficulty as well. * You cannot use single floating glass panes or iron bars because in versions 1.12 and higher, they are just those little poles and they glitch! Panes are bars are fine, of course, but they must either be connected to a wall or to another pane/bar. * Please don't overuse barriers (/barrier)! They're invisible and are very annoying if you keep bumping into them when trying to parkour. If you have to block off areas, try to keep them as far away from the parkour as possible and mark them with signs or item frames. Coloured glass blocks work well on builds to block off little areas. * For tp blocks, add the coordinates of the final tp block to the starting tp block so that Shinx knows where the other tp block is. * Using redstone dust is allowed with trapdoors, buttons, levers, etc. but pistons are not allowed. There are also length recommendations for course difficulty. It should be fine if you're not exactly within this amount, but Easy maps obviously shouldn't have 100 jumps. * Easy: 20-35 jumps * Medium: 40-55 jumps * Hard: 60-75 jumps * Expert: 80-100 jumps * Insane: 100+ jumps (no more than 150, please) On Map-crafting: An in-depth guide by Rubempre For any aspiring builders looking to take their builds a step further, here is some required reading: an extremely detailed page on the essential process. Hello, this is Rubempre. I had the idea of making a map guide when I began to frequent the forums even more so, and noticed the state of the map submissions. Some builds were decent, but let down by their abysmal parkour, others were disappointing in every aspect, and good maps were far and few. Then you had the maps where information was left unprovided; we as players did not know what the parkour looked like or where it was. This ensemble of malpractices sparked this idea, and so here we are today. I will be going through all the steps I think important in the process of building a parkour map, and at the end you will be able to find a regularly updated list of useful links as well as an interview with a special guest Mapper. Stay tuned! Theme Originality is the most important step to having your theme work. Shinx's list of maps is the best place to go to find all the maps and their themes already on the server. Working on previously done ideas isn't a bad thing, either, because you can innovate and potentially create something even better. Brainstorm the idea and get a general idea of what you want to build. Originality To have a real chance of having one’s map accepted, the map needs to be different from others as much as possible; this requires an understanding of what has and what hasn’t been done heretofore. I recommend, almost oblige, one to look at Shinx’s list of maps wherein he has compiled the names and themes of every Parkour map, including those to come. But, as we can’t possibly have an infinitude of map ideas, one doesn’t always have to go off-piece. Building from a pre-established concept or doing something innovative with an idea already used can be just as good, if not better. If a dragon has been done, why not have a dragon perched upon a mountain, or a city built upon its scaled back, or just a different design of one? The possibilities depend on the extent of one’s imagination, and building capabilities I imagine. As more maps are accepted biweekly, if I daresay that, this won’t always be the case. If there are three castle maps, you just won’t be able to scratch your way through the map review process no matter your expertise. Conceptualization Your idea is but a concept bound to your mind. You might be able to visualize parts of it, imagine how it might appear in-game, but until you plan it out you won’t be able to reproduce it no matter how much you try. This theory might be wrong when you’re building simple structures, like houses, but as the scale of the build ascends a pen needs to be put to paper. One of the worst feelings is forgetting something important and, let me tell you, your visions of a map will fade away if it isn’t noted down. So, what does one start with? Even a simple brainstorming is enough to filter out the thought and ensure the idea won’t disappear. From there on forward you can find link words, random ideas, entire paragraphs detailing parts of the map. If you want a roof to look like the beak of an eagle, a floor to be checkered using the alternation of yellow terracotta and red wool, or a wall to be seven blocks tall, then note it down. Even if it is incoherent blah blah, this step is important. Planning Plan out your build and make sure it's your own. You can put your ideas to paper by sketching or planning out on a separate space in your plot. Make sure you also plan what blocks you will use to build with and who you will build with. Evolution Then we move onto the research stage; inspiration is valuable so long as it does not traverse the borders into plagiarism. Copying a YouTube video block by block and then putting some ill-thought myriad of floating blocks is an example of this, one of which I have even seen happen on the Manacube server. However something like finding an image of a pillar design to the image of an entire fortress and relating your work to it is absolutely fine. As long as the idea starts as original and ends as original, little bits of influence aren’t going to ruin the work ahead. It’s even encouraged to draw elements from others. Tutorials that help you build in the medieval style, that help you create custom tree foliage, are much better than tutorials on how to build a pirate ship wherein you follow every piece of the puzzle and claim it as your own. Plagiarism is rarely detected for Minecraft is a long living gem that shelters a large community, but I can’t image you’ll feel good about yourself if a copy and paste is your only accepted map in the portfolio. What you can do now is put the plan into motion. You have some form of idea for the theme, keywords to what you want to build, and so it is up to you to realize this concept using any form you desire. I personally have never sketched a map idea but others find the process therapeutic and a good way of conceiving thought. Real-life architects, for example, will find themselves at ease designing individual layers, implementing architectural style, and so forth. You could also draw a quick mock-up on a software, perhaps sketch out a simple outlining of the build with a marker pen. Really, if you have a hard time passing by this stage, you could ultimately leave destiny to guide you and visually represent it as soon as you log on to the server with the blocks at your command. Techniques Another important thing to do is think up the tools you’ll need to use. I personally recommend building a separate platform from that of where your build will grow, and start placing all manners of blocks and decorations that might aid you in the process. If you want to build tower crenelations on a castle, cobblestone and variants, as well as walls and fences, would most definitely come in handy. Were you to have a beach come into play during the map, you’d want to find blocks close in texture, colour, or appearance to that of sand. I use sandstone and end stone to diversify my sand landscaping, for example. And since solo projects can be a heavy burden to manage, even the smallest of help from other people will benefit in the long term. If you are to have no more inspiration, someone could give you feedback and future ideas. If you don’t know how to build insane parkour, get a prestiged player or mapper to come in for a few minutes. Maybe you will need a couple blocks placed down by someone else, maybe you’ll want to build the map entirely with a friend. You do what you want with plot claiming, and this is reflected in the project planning. From yourself, to a duo build, to having an entire group participating on a mega build, it is up to you to decide whether or not you will build alone. Construction Focus a lot on the first layer of the build and then build up accordingly. It doesn't matter how it starts, it could be big boxes for all we know. Later you want to add detail, start carving the boxes into elaborate shapes and add decoration as you see fit. Framework The enemy of the common mapmaker is the first layer. In most cases this first layer will decide what happens in your build. If you are planning the landscape then its curvatures and height will depend on the space you allow it to thrive in; furthermore, if you plan a small square for a house you must respect these dimensions lest its foundations intervene in those of the other houses around it. You don’t have to build the entirety of the first layer in one go, no, but even if you continue the build from earth to sky at a later time, it will still provide the same effect. I started building a grouping of houses and conjoined towers to it later, but the fact remained that the first few blocks were absolutely important to follow no matter what. And so this leads us into the framework of your build. This doesn’t exactly apply to landscaping but you may decide to have rectangles design the different sections before detailing it at a later time. Framing a build not only gives you an idea of a build’s size, but it also helps you decide on the shape. Houses may begin from quartz cubes, and that’s just fine. Your alien city could be layers upon layers of random blocks that help you differentiate what is where. It doesn’t matter how you do it; it matters that you do it. People prefer to head into a build and detail a build elaborately so, others prefer to plan every element and put care into the build. Either way the result might be fruitful or become a complete disaster of nature. I’d recommend building all manners of buildings beginning by flat and plain geometrical shapes. Cubes, cuboids, cylinders for towers—you get the idea. You can place smaller shapes upon larger ones to indicate a change in size or pattern; you can have a different block to map out the rooms. Depending on the nature of the build you will either need everything in a uniform block of your choice, or a multitude of blocks if you are to layer an entire build up, each level at a time. The framework will not look pretty, unless you use pink and cyan wool for your foundations, but that’s not the point. The next step, detailing, will make sure the build is pretty as long as you have the right vision and know more or less how to build. Detail Think the framework as a block of marble, or ice, and you are now going to chip and carve your way through the build as to make it the beauty it should be. If you consult your block palette, that we mentioned should be predetermined, you can start changing blocks with others. You can do so many different things when building in Minecraft. You can build patterns out of blocks, use slabs and stairs to create elaborate structures, and enlarge or decrease the size of your frame in order to house more diversity in your map. It’s not about cluttering the build with stair designs, it’s about changing things now and then, so it represents what you want to see and hopefully what the players will want to see. Where you had landscapes, gravel paths with scattered pressure plates and buttons will begin to form, and trees will sprout, and snow will surface, and coarse dirt will be used in conjunction with dirt, and grass, and podzol, and mycelium, and thereon gates will line territory, and houses will dot the hills, and water features will appear far and few, and once you know that you have detailed it all as much as you want… Then you can hang your hat up. Remember to use WorldEdit, it's a really useful tool and helps save time. It isn't VIP-locked in the Map Maker world so use it whilst it's given to you. I recommend using //brush sphere sand 5 to help lay out landscape and then //replace sand dirt , remembering of course to use the Wooden Axe tool to mark both positions ( also //pos1 and //pos2 ), as to start a basis for its look. You can do so many different things with just these two basic commands. Parkour Make sure the parkour is varied in that it doesn't have the same jumps all the time. Remember as well to value the parkour more than the map. And finally have the map difficulty consistent and take into account the amount of jumps to determine it. Diversity The map itself will greatly affect how the parkour is built. Towers spiralling into the clouds will be scaled, more often than not, whereas houses will be entered by the player or have their roofs jumped upon. You don’t have to follow this but it is generally advised to stick to the norm and not diversify the parkour too much. This preface is the first stepping stone in what makes a parkour stand out from others. If one builds an entire parkour out of evenly spaced floating jumps, jumps of which are looked down upon for future reference, then the parkour isn’t enjoyable. Just because you’ve built fjords doesn’t mean that you’ll be accepted. If anything the parkour matters a lot more than the build itself because, after all, we are on a Parkour game mode and not on Creative. The build serves as a basis and a means of decoration and contextualization, but the parkour is where the submission points will be dedicated to the most. This means that a variety of different parkour jumps is almost required, albeit unwritten. So instead of placing floating blocks everywhere, you can just start by having flower pots instead; mini blocks, maybe, or fences. Even the change of block type is enough to get a different rhythm going. Then you can build from this and think of implementing neos, slime jumps, chest water jumps. There are so many mechanics that have been in game for so long, and others created by players even in our community. It requires an inventive aspect of the mind to change the parkour up but once you have gotten a handle of it, future builds won’t nearly be as hard. You can go on certain member’s plots and look at the jumps they’ve built, or take from personal experiences when you’ve played maps. And finally, remember to keep the parkour linked to the map theme. Do not have nether fences leading the player around a festive winter wonderland. Consistency Before you had begun the parkour, you must have surely thought of its difficulty. Scale of the build can play into how hard it might be, but you can do whatever you like. Sometimes the smallest of ideas can become Insane maps. Perhaps I exaggerate. This means that you must keep a consistent level of difficulty: do not have easy jumps intercepted by extremely difficult ones. It’s fine to have a slight change in ease but not so much as to put off the player on the parkour. They don’t want to finish all of the map to fail on the last jump which is near impossible. And remember to never neglect the amount of jumps. Just because the jumps may be considered somewhat intermediate, if your map has 100 jumps its difficulty will become ambiguous. This is where you get the help of experienced players to help judge it for you, if you really must. And as a little note, use the /barrier command to get invisible blocks to then limit off areas of exploit or areas you don't want players to go. Finalization Perfection and presentation are the last two steps. Make sure you have done all that you can. Do your best to place checkpoints in the best of places and check for exploits. You can bring in another member to help you test the parkour. The presentation of your build is necessary too; properly add the introduction to your map and format the thread in a way that is presentable. Perfection If you want your masterpiece to thrive and really be appreciated for its everything, then this is where perfecting the build will make it so much better. If your time and effort has been put into a build, don’t you want to make sure you’ve given it all you’ve got? Detail to the shift of a speck of dust? No, not quite. But having things done to a high standard and not missing things out will keep a consistent aesthetic. It won’t provide just an interior sense of satisfaction, perfection may or may not be the deciding factor of your map being accepted. Have the landscape look as natural as possible, have buildings decorated the way you wanted. Even if these areas will never be traversed by the player, it provides a background and an added sense of immersion. These final moments of desperation will also be the opportunity to have players test the map for exploits, or just simple feedback. They can help see things you might not because you’re biased, or maybe tired by the effort. Elaborating on this, checking for exploits and errors are definitely important. The player shouldn’t be able to skip half of the map by making an unforeseen turn in the parkour, neither should they fall in holes you didn’t fill up along the way. They shouldn’t feel lost and the general direction of the parkour should be marked by blocks or logically seem. The flow of a build and its parkour helps reinforce its value. You will also want to go through the parkour again, make sure it is the right difficulty and have checkpoints in strategic places. If you’re face to face with a triple neo you’d preferably want a checkpoint before; after a long sequence of painful jumps a checkpoint would be like the glimmer of an oasis in a desert landscape. And so you might find yourself wanting to submit this right away, and if you think you should then there’s no point avoiding it, but doing so isn’t always the best solution. You might need to go through it again, take a couple days to reflect and escape its existence. That’s perfectly fine and helps the stage of perfection. Once you feel happy you can submit that baby and shake the world with your expertise. Presentation The beauty of the build isn’t solely from the build itself but of its, let’s say, accessories. The map name should attract people and not be incomprehensible. If your build is torn from a video game then a semblance of its origin should be cited in its name. You want the map clean, smart, and ready for whatever awaits it. So this also encompasses the providing of information. All maps should begin with an introduction platform more or less original and tied to the build’s theme. Here you should mention the parkour name, difficulty, number of jumps, and credit anyone who helped you along the way. If you like, you could write up a little introductory lore, or even have it running through the jumps of the parkour if you’ve fleshed it out enough. Not everyone will understand English, not everyone will care, but for those that do it may just make their experience better. And finally, this presentation segment will lead onto submitting the map itself. When you are making a thread you want to provide the usernames of those who helped or participated, the map name; screenshots of the parkour and a means of getting there, so a /plot tp command; and then the number of jumps and thus its difficulty. Format this however you like, underline what you wish and embolden others, it’s really up to you and it won’t be paid much attention to. That is if you don’t have a wall of capitalized text or something unthinkable along those lines. Set the map into the wild now, and await what happens! Will it get rejected? Will it get accepted? Whatever the case, it has been a learning experience and if you don’t get the result you quite wanted, you can always do some more work.